Sky Sports' northeast reporter Keith Downie has said that having three Newcastle United players in the England squad for the World Cup is 'unbelievable'.

The Lowdown: Three Magpies for the Three Lions

Three Magpies players were included in Gareth Southgate's 26-man England squad for the World Cup in Qatar, with Nick Pope, Kieran Trippier and Callum Wilson all getting the call.

The former two were safe picks having made recent squads, but Wilson has not played for the Three Lions since 2019, although he has been picked by Southgate ahead of the likes of Tammy Abraham and Ivan Toney for the upcoming tournament.

The Latest: Downie buzzing

Taking to Twitter, Downie was left buzzing after the England squad was announced, claiming that having three players from St James' Park in it is 'unbelievable' for Newcastle.

The Sky Sports reporter tweeted: "Unbelievable how far Newcastle have come in such a short space of time. And having three players in the England squad for Qatar symbolises exactly that."

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The Verdict: Deserved

All three Newcastle players deserve their place in the England squad as a testament to how well they have performed to get the Tynesiders up to third place in the Premier League table.

Having three players from one club in the squad is the joint-second highest representation behind Manchester City with five.

It puts Eddie Howe's side level with Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United, and they have more than Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur from the so-called 'big six'.

The fact that the Toon are mixing it up with the more traditional big boys is shown by the players in the England squad, and they all deserve their seats on the plane to Qatar next week.